Recent Development of Genetic Code Expansion for Posttranslational Modification Studies

by Chen, Hao; Venkat, Sumana; McGuire, Paige; Gan, Qinglei; Fan, Chenguang

Nowadays advanced mass spectrometry techniques make the identification of protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs) much easier than ever before. A series of proteomic studies have demonstrated that large numbers of proteins in cells are modified by phosphorylation, acetylation and many other types of PTMs. However, only limited studies have been performed to validate or characterize those identified modification targets, mostly because PTMs are very dynamic, undergoing large changes in different growth stages or conditions. To overcome this issue, the genetic code expansion strategy has been introduced into PTM studies to genetically incorporate modified amino acids directly into desired positions of target proteins. Without using modifying enzymes, the genetic code expansion strategy could generate homogeneously modified proteins, thus providing powerful tools for PTM studies. In this review, we summarized recent development of genetic code expansion in PTM studies for research groups in this field.

Journal
Molecules
Volume
23
Issue
7
Year
2018
URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules23071662
ISBN/ISSN
1420-3049; 1431-5157
DOI
10.3390/molecules23071662